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Offered here is an original late 18th-century handwritten payment authorization signed by Lydia Coates, a member of the prominent Philadelphia Quaker Coates family. The note instructs payment for five cords of hickory wood at £1–12–6 per cord, reflecting the household and institutional fuel economy of early America.
The Coates family were major figures in 18th-century Philadelphia commerce and philanthropy. Lydia Coates (1756–1821) was the sister of Samuel Coates, Overseer of the Poor and a long-serving manager of the Pennsylvania Hospital. Surviving documents from Coates family members are desirable for their connection to Quaker civic administration and Philadelphia’s merchant history.
The handwriting is elegant and well-preserved, written on period-laid paper with excellent contrast.
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Please to pay this man
for 5 Cords Hickory wood
at £1 : 12 : 6 pr Cord
Lydia Coates
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Historical Significance
Documents early American domestic fuel purchasing.
Connected to the influential Quaker merchant Coates family.
Excellent example of Philadelphia commercial manuscript ephemera.
A clean, display-worthy autograph from a well-documented family.
Lydia Coates (1756–1821) — sister of Samuel Coates, born into the merchant class, appears in several Philadelphia Quaker records related to household accounts and payments.
Women in Quaker households frequently issued written requests for payment for household supplies, especially firewood. The handwriting also matches known late-18th-century Quaker cursive.
This makes the document desirable to buyers interested in:
Philadelphia merchant history
Quaker documents
Coates family archival material
Early American trade and domestic economy
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Condition
Very good for age. Clean paper, strong ink, minimal edge loss on lower right corner. No repairs.
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Dimensions
Approx. ___ (3\"x4\")
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Guaranteed Authentic
This is an original manuscript from the period, not a reproduction.
